(AllHipHop News) “You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation,” says Beyoncé on her new song “Formation.” Apparently, she can cause a franchise’s sales to rise just by mentioning its name. Queen Bey’s single also includes a reference to Red Lobster, and the seafood restaurant chain is benefiting from the shout out.
[ALSO READ: Beyonce Revisits Hurricane Katrina In “Formation” Video]
According to spokesperson Erica Ettori, Red Lobster saw a significant boost in sales after the Grammy-winning superstar included the line “When he f*ck me good I take his ass to Red Lobster” on “Formation.” The company was apparently mentioned 42,000 times on Twitter in a single hour and become a trending topic for the first time in history.
“We’ve been comping up since ‘Formation’ was released and we saw a 33% increase in sales on Sunday,” Ettori told Billboard. “It’s clear that Beyonce’s shout out contributed to that. This is a real testament to the power of pop culture on business.”
Red Lobster did catch some backlash on Twitter for its relatively slow response to Beyoncé’s song. In the age of social media, recognition from a global pop star is expected to be acknowledged in mere moments.
Fans criticized the chain for taking hours to simply offer up a tweet that read, “‘Cheddar Bey Biscuits’ has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” It appears Red Lobster is now clearly aware of the power of celebrity and social media.
[ALSO READ: Red Lobster Failed To Take Advantage Of Beyonce’s New Single “Formation”]
Check out Red Lobster’s tweets and Beyoncé video for “Formation” below.
"Cheddar Bey Biscuits" has a nice ring to it, don't you think? #Formation @Beyonce pic.twitter.com/QzgVtYAKNo
— Red Lobster (@redlobster) February 7, 2016
You try to bake Cheddar Bay Biscuits and tweet at the same time! #harderthanitlooks #Formation
— Red Lobster (@redlobster) February 7, 2016
Our bad. We're really busy for some reason. #ThanksB #??
— Red Lobster (@redlobster) February 7, 2016